Going past Jordan

SN’T it praise to be compared with someone great, like soccer player Pele and basketball player Michael Jordan?

It shows that your performances have been amazing. But in the shadow (阴影) of greatness, a whole career can be spent being compared to another player.

Just ask Kobe Bryant, 36, who, as ESPN put it, played out “his career in Jordan’s shadow with every achievement measured against his idol (偶像), almost since the day Bryant entered the league in 1996”.

But Bryant’s ambition (雄心) is more than being the “next Jordan”, according to Phil Jackson, who has coached both players in the NBA. “Kobe was determined (坚决的) to overtake (追上) Jordan as the greatest player in the game. His obsession (着迷) with Michael was striking. Not only had he mastered many of Jordan’s moves, but he started doing many of MJ’s mannerisms (言谈举止) as well,” wrote Phil Jackson in his 2013 book Eleven Rings (Jackson has won 11 championship rings – six with Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and five with Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers).

“When we played in Chicago that season, I organized a meeting between the two stars, thinking that Michael might help change Kobe’s selfish (自私的) attitude toward teamwork. After they shook hands, the first words out of Kobe’s mouth were, ‘You know I can kick your ass one-on-one.’”

So, Dec 14 was a memorable day for Bryant when he passed Jordan (32,292 points) in the Lakers’ 100-94 victory over the Timberwolves. Now he is behind only Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Malone (36,928) in career NBA points.

“I congratulate Kobe on reaching this milestone (里程碑),” Jordan told The Associated Press. “I’ve enjoyed watching his game develop over the years, and I look forward to seeing what he does next.”

However, Bryant said he wasn’t just playing to overtake the basketball icon (代表人物). “It’s really not a big deal to say I passed him for something like that,” Bryant told ESPN. “It’s a great accomplishment (成就), but the true beauty is in the journey.”

Every achievement brought him closer to being equal to Jordan, but none mattered more than championships, which, as Bryant said, are “the standard”.

“He obsesses about titles (冠军头衔),” said ESPN, which may explain the differences between Bryant and Jordan, according to Jackson. Jackson wrote in his book that Jordan was a better leader than Bryant, and a tougher and more intimidating (让人畏惧的) defender. But Jackson still has to recognize Bryant’s skills.

“Jordan has said that Kobe is the only player who can be compared to him,” Jackson wrote, “and I have to agree.”